The ultimate moment of glory for the Jewish people — their greatest
hour — occurred as God revealed His Torah to them at Mount Sinai. The
Israelites made an amazing proclamation: Na’asehVeNishma — “We will do
and we will listen to all that God has declared” (Exod. 24:7).

They promised two things: to do, and to listen. The order is
crucial. They promised to keep the Torah, even before knowing why. The
Midrash (Shabbat 88a) says that, in merit of this pledge of loyalty, the
angels rewarded each Jew with two crowns. And a Heavenly Voice
exclaimed, “Who revealed to My children this secret that is used by the
angels?”

What was so special about this vow, “we will do and we will
listen”? On the contrary, would not fulfilling mitzvot with understanding
and enlightenment be a higher level of Torah observance? And why is this
form of unquestioning allegiance a “secret used by the angels”?

Intuitive Knowledge

While wisdom is usually acquired through study and reflection, there
exists in nature an intuitive knowledge that requires no formal education.
The bee, for example, naturally knows the optimal geometric shape for
building honeycomb cells. No bee has ever needed to register for
engineering courses at MIT.

Intuitive knowledge also exists in the spiritual realm. Angels are
sublime spiritual entities who do not need Torah studies in order to know
how to serve God. Their holiness is ingrained in their very nature. It is
only human beings, prone to being confused by pseudo-scientific
indoctrination, who need to struggle in order to return to their pristine
spiritual selves.

For the Jews who stood at Mount Sinai, it was not only Torah and
mitzvot that were revealed. They also discovered their own true, inner
essence. They attained a sublime level of natural purity, and intuitively
proclaimed, “we will do.” We will follow our natural essence, unhindered
by any spurious, artificial mores.